What to do with fallen leaves?

Don't burn or throw away leaves: burning sends all their nitrogen up in smoke. Pile them at least 1 × 1 × 1 m, layered with soil or finished compost (about a tenth), wet them and cover from the rain: by next autumn you have leaf mould, the best thing to add to seedling compost. Oak and walnut take longer (walnut apart, see the walnut topic). Dry leaves in a bag make a warm wrap for a compost bin or roses. On beds lay them thin and loose: a thick wet layer mats into a crust that smothers the soil. Leaves of diseased trees go only into a hot heap.